In article ,
Mike Marron writes:
"Paul J. Adam" wrote:

Meanwhile the Shackleton flew on until the 1980s, and the almost equally
ancient Canberra flies on still. When a design finds the right niche, it
can be very long-lived.

Thank gawd the Brits managed to find a niche for the Shackleton other
than as a post-war strategic bomber!

Erm, Mike, even though the Shack was, in fact used as a bomber (Kenya,
Aden, and, I think, Malaysia), and it was the last of the Lancaster
breed, it was never intended to be a strategic bomber. The RAF's
Strategic Bomber when the Shackleton entered service was the
Washington, am MDAP provided B-29, which filled in the gap between the
Lincoln and the Valiant. The Shackleton, as its name implies, was
always intended as a Maritime Patrol airplane for Coastal Command.
(RAF Bombers, except for the V-bombers, were named after cities.
Patrol Aircraft were named after explorers.)


--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster